Who could have imagined that Ye Fan, in this lifetime alone, would still walk among the living after more than forty thousand years? His bearing was towering and imposing, his eyes deep and unfathomable, commanding reverence and awe. This was yet another miracle.
The prodigies recorded on the Prodigies Chart were all turned to stone, filled with immeasurable bitterness. What kind of monster was this? They had been sealed for well over a hundred thousand years — yet here he was upon their return, still before their eyes.
In that moment, they all felt the same emotion that the Great Emperor of the Golden Crow had felt in those earlier days — a burning urge to burst out with a crude oath. Are you serious? How are you still alive?!
Some of them possessed hearts that had transcended the ordinary, yet even now their expressions were as sour as if they had bitten into something rotten. Was there no justice in this world? They had once competed for supremacy alongside him in the same age — yet after all this long, long time, this man had simply gone on existing with the world, still seated in the position of Heavenly Emperor.
“Friends, I trust you have all been well. In the great dream of life these past one hundred thousand years, to meet again — I have truly missed you all.” Ye Fan smiled.
All the gathered prodigies fell silent.
“Master!”
Little Song, Ye Tong, and the others were deeply moved, rushing forward quickly to bow in deep and reverent salute.
As for the forces of the Heavenly Court, they continued to cry out without pause. The words “Heavenly Emperor” resonated throughout the cosmos, reverberating across every realm of the myriad heavens, causing the blood of every cultivator in the world to surge with excitement.
The Heavenly Emperor had once again created a miracle, continuing to shatter the limits of the human body again and again!
“Prepare a grand banquet. Today I shall share wine with old friends, speak freely of the past, and not leave until we are drunk.” Ye Fan gave his command.
Naturally this was a grand occasion. After more than one hundred thousand years apart, the most powerful figures from every era of the cosmos gathered together once more. When word spread out, it would absolutely stir waves of astonishment across the entire world.
News of the Heavenly Court’s great banquet reached the outside world. The elder clan heads of every clan came rushing over, seeking audience with the Heavenly Emperor and crying out in unison that the Heavenly Emperor would live eternally, undying and imperishable.
Huo Qizi, the Sovereign Emperor, the Primordial Supreme — all of them felt an indescribable mixture of emotions. What kind of scene was this? Yet for them, it was deeply bitter. Even the wine in their cups tasted of hardship as they drank.
“Heavenly Emperor — you have cut off the path for everyone else. A single life spanning one hundred twenty-five thousand years, and you still let others have any hope of becoming an emperor? From this day forward, there will be only one Heavenly Emperor that endures forever through the ages.” Huo Qizi sighed after drinking himself into a stupor, speaking aloud what many people had buried in the depths of their hearts.
“Amitabha.” The Golden Cicada, too, sighed.
Time was merciless. None of these people were young anymore. Now having emerged from seclusion once more, they had been invited by the Heavenly Emperor into the Heavenly Court’s feast. This gathering carried with it a feeling that was almost like wanting to weep yet having no tears.
“I never blocked the path of the prodigies who came after me. In one hundred thousand years, the grand ages truly withered — not a single person reached the Ninth Tier of Heaven as a quasi-emperor. What hope was there then of becoming an emperor?” Ye Fan shook his head.
“And what of this age?” someone asked.
“Has anyone here sensed the suppression of the Emperor Dao’s laws? If you have, then why would any of you have emerged from seclusion?” Ye Fan replied, and a flash of brilliant light appeared. A Phoenix-Blood Red-Gold Cauldron, a Jade-Green Gold Cauldron of Immortal Tears, and the All-Things Mother Qi Cauldron appeared simultaneously — one above his head and one to each side — as immortal light flowed and streamed around them, profoundly mysterious and transcendent.
“I have used the Heavenly Emperor’s forbidden techniques to lock my own Dao within my body, with the three cauldrons suppressing me, so as not to influence the mortal world.” Ye Fan spoke honestly.
Upon hearing this, everyone drew a sharp breath of cold air. What kind of heaven-defying method was this? People believed that Ye Fan would never sever his own cultivation — yet he was able to lock away his own Dao, preventing it from affecting the world. To do such a thing must have been extraordinarily difficult.
“Brother Ye — you are truly the most extraordinary figure in all the world!” Huo Lin’er, whose bearing was incomparably graceful, was unlike her elder brother’s melancholic gloom. She had always been optimistic, and her smile now was enough to cast a city into shadow.
Nearby, the Southern Demon’s black hair was threaded with a single strand of white. She raised her cup toward Ye Fan in a silent gesture and drank it all in one go. Beside her, Qi Huoshui wore white hair and a youthful face, and seemed somewhat dazed, lamenting that time had flowed past and youth could not linger forever.
“Come, come, come — let everyone raise a cup together! And afterward, I wish to discuss with you all the matter of eternal life. I hope that one day we may enter the Immortal Realm together!” Ye Fan rose to his feet. His voice shook the entire Heavenly Court.
Every face was seized with a tremendous shock, revealing expressions of utter disbelief. The Heavenly Emperor’s breadth of vision was indeed extraordinary — even in his consideration of ascending to immortality, he was thinking not only of himself.
“With my power, I could long ago have pierced through into that other strange space. One might encounter the undying Heavenly Sovereign there, and perhaps the Great Emperor Wushi as well — but it is ultimately not the true Immortal Realm, and while entry is easy, departure is difficult.”
“To truly become an immortal still requires great effort. All of you must be prepared to wait.”
“And if any of you wish to first become an emperor, that is entirely your own prerogative.”
Ye Fan spoke of the road to immortality over his wine, revealing many hidden secrets, harboring no resentment whatsoever over the fact that they had once pressed upon the Heavenly Court’s doorstep. Everyone understood — in the Heavenly Emperor’s heart, there was no longer any rival. Even if they were to become emperors, they would likely still not be counted among the Heavenly Emperor’s true adversaries, and would be treated in precisely this same manner regardless.
The Heavenly Court’s grand banquet came to an end, and everyone departed.
From that point on, Ye Fan took up his position in the Heavenly Court, receiving the obeisance of powerful cultivators from all eight directions. The forces of the Heavenly Court came streaming in continuously, all of them fortunate enough to lay eyes upon the supreme Heavenly Emperor they revered in their hearts.
More than ten years later, a clear and ringing cry of an infant pierced through the Heavenly Court. Chaotic energy spread outward, flooding the entire palace complex and drawing a wave of startled cries.
“Master — my child has been born!” Ye Tong came running, trembling with excitement.
Having at last seen his master again, both he and Little Song and Jiang Tingting had not immediately sealed themselves once more. Instead, they remained close at hand to serve and attend — for if they were to part again, there was truly no knowing whether they would ever see each other again.
“A Chaos Physique — born as the child of my disciple, haha…” Ye Fan laughed with great joy, the most unrestrained laughter he had allowed himself in many tens of thousands of years.
It was a chubby, soft little infant, wreathed in wisps of chaotic energy. No sooner had she been born than she was running all over the room, able to call out to her parents in a tiny, milky voice, drawing in spiritual energy from all ten directions.
The cosmos shook violently. A true Chaos Physique had been born into the world! Over such a vast and long span of time, every prior appearance had been incomplete — not a genuine Chaos Physique without defect. This time it was truly heaven-defying!
Not long after, Zhang Bairen, the Sovereign Emperor, the Primordial Supreme, the Golden Cicada, the Silkworm Daoist, and all the others came — they wanted to see for themselves just how heaven-defying was the bloodline that could match heavenly venerables in strength even before attaining the Dao.
The cosmos was in an uproar. Prodigies from every direction rushed toward the Heavenly Court, seeking to glimpse the wonder for themselves.
Inside the Heavenly Court, all was serene and auspicious. Irises bloomed across the grounds. Immortal flowers wafted their fragrance. Ancient medicines covered every stone cliff. Pure white mist rose to knee height. Divine beasts appeared and vanished among the grounds, and celestial birds danced through the air.
The Central Heavenly Palace blazed with ten thousand rays of precious light, shooting straight up to the sky vault, causing many to tremble. The Heavenly Emperor was laughing heartily, cradling a pink and tender little infant in his arms.
“Grandpa…” The little girl-infant was astonishingly precocious. Not long after being born, she already seemed to understand everything. She reached up her little hand to touch Ye Fan’s cheek and giggled merrily.
“Let her be called Ye Xian.” Ye Fan gave the name at the request of the child’s parents.
“May she follow in the Heavenly Emperor’s wake and ascend together to immortality.” Many people voiced the same hope.
And countless people came to pay their respects and enter the Central Heavenly Palace. The Sovereign Emperor, Huo Qizi, the Primordial Supreme — all of them were shaken. After careful observation, it was confirmed beyond doubt — this was indeed a true Chaos Physique.
Since the age of mythology, this was the first and only Chaos Physique. Every one that had appeared previously had been false — not a genuine bloodline.
“The Supreme Yin Physique and the Supreme Yang Physique are rare enough in themselves throughout the ages — far more so to encounter both in the same lifetime. And the parents of a Chaos Physique must be of precisely these two constitutions — no wonder such a being has never emerged from ancient times to the present!”
People were astonished.
The Chaos Physique was born into the world. As an infant, she breathed in and exhaled the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars, drawing divine essence into her body. Everyone understood — this age would belong to her.
This caused the Primordial Supreme, the Sovereign Emperor, and others to fall into silent contemplation. For a bloodline such as this — even if someone else were to become an emperor first — she would still be able to continue breaking through, ultimately attaining the realm of the Chaos Emperor.
Outside the great hall, a little figure poked his head in, scratching his ears and cheeks, wanting to enter yet not daring to.
“You little troublemaker — how have you gotten out again?” Ye Fan on his throne looked simultaneously exasperated and amused.
The little monkey had gotten out again. By this point no one could count how many times it had happened. Ye Fan alone had personally sealed him away several times, and reportedly during the years when the Heavenly Emperor was absent, Little Song had been awakened on specific occasions just to go and catch him.
“Uncle Ye, I missed you.” The little sacred ape looked about four or five years old, with bright golden fur and large, rolling eyes that were extraordinarily quick-witted.
Inside the Central Heavenly Palace, Zhang Bairen, Huo Lin’er, and the Golden Cicada were all astonished. The Heavenly Court was truly overflowing with exceptional talent — it was frightening. This little monkey’s bloodline was extraordinarily rare in all the world!
“To possess all the finest qualities of both the Imperial Sage Prince and the Six-Eared Macaque in one body — truly heaven-defying.”
Seeing the little monkey, everyone felt a wave of loss — time had truly swept past and left them all behind.
“Little sister, let big brother hold you.” The little monkey came running over eagerly to curry favor.
“Mind those hairy hands — don’t drop Ye Xian.” Ye Fan tapped his head, then suddenly looked toward the doorway of the hall, for two more little figures had appeared there, peeking and peering inside with sneaky, guilty expressions.
“You really are something — all of you have gotten out.” Ye Fan shook his head.
“Haha! The Great Emperor Yu Feng has returned — unrivaled beneath the heavens, lonely as the driven snow! I heard a Chaos Physique has been born — I came for a look.” The Divine Child swaggered in with an air of self-importance, still looking like a child of two or three years old, chubby and round-faced.
Everyone in the Heavenly Court was rendered speechless. That narcissistic little fatty had appeared as well — surely he had been summoned out by that trouble-making little monkey.
What a pity Li Tian was not here. Otherwise he would certainly have given that rascal several smacks on the backside.
All the visiting guests were greatly startled, for the little fatty was simply too heaven-defying — barely bigger than a bean curd block, yet already a sage!
One of them changed color — it was the Sovereign Emperor, that disciple of the legendary Emperor Venerate known to few. He had come to know the Divine Child’s past lives and present existence, and in the end he simply sighed, saying nothing.
The other little creature was also peeking around the doorway, coming over with its entire body golden-colored, flying in a manner resembling a crawling bug, yet swaying this way and that as though drunk — it was the little silkworm, who had lived through a second lifetime.
It was different now. After living through this lifetime, it was as though reborn — all memories forgotten, like a newly born infant.
The Silkworm Daoist was deeply shaken upon seeing it. He recalled what his father had told him long ago — that he had an uncle, a divine silkworm who had encountered a great problem in his cultivation and subsequently vanished.
As the little silkworm’s primordial aura spread outward after its resurrection, it caused the Silkworm Daoist’s mind and spirit to tremble. Could this be that very uncle who had gone missing?
If it was, then this was not simply a second lifetime — for according to what his father had told him, that uncle had been on the verge of death from his cultivation, had undergone a resurrective transformation, and had then disappeared.
“Now he has lived through yet another lifetime, and after another resurrective transformation has revealed the original aura from those earlier days — it could truly be my uncle!” The Silkworm Daoist was profoundly shaken.
Not long after, the Divine Child, the little monkey, little Ye Xian, and the little silkworm were rolling and wrestling with each other inside the heavenly palace — using no spiritual power whatsoever, of course.
“I am the supreme being in all the world! The Great Emperor Yu Feng is destined to stand alone without equal!”
“Rubbish — the Emperor here hasn’t even said anything yet, and you’re already showing off, you fat oaf.” The little sacred ape refused to be outdone.
On the other side, the little girl-infant Ye Xian had grabbed the little silkworm and was treating it like a toy, pulling and tugging at it — which promptly provoked the little silkworm’s protest as golden light rolled and churned.
Everyone looked on, and one by one they rose and took their leave with a sigh. The Heavenly Court already had people like Little Song and Ye Tong — and now it had produced these four monsters as well. Was there still any fairness left in this world?
Though this was a Golden Grand Age, every single guest departed feeling a chill running through them from head to toe.
On Gouchen Star, an ancient ridge wound through the landscape like an ancient dragon. It was not particularly tall or imposing, and an ordinary person would not discern anything unusual about it. But if a Source Diviner were to come to this place, they would surely tremble with astonishment — for this was a location with a heaven-defying geographical configuration, possessing the power to carry one up a dragon’s back and ascend to immortality!
Anyone who truly understood such matters would, upon a single glance, exhale a long sigh of admiration. This ridge cut horizontally across the ancient past and the future, stealing the providence of heaven and earth itself. But how many people throughout history had ever been able to see through it?
At this moment, within the belly of the ridge, a fat man revived from inside an ancient coffin. He sat up with a dazed expression, inadvertently activating a divine crystal. An instant later, a boundless tide of memory came flooding in.
The divine crystal was extraordinary. He had viewed its contents merely to understand his previous lives — but for the sake of this present existence, he would have to sever all of those memories within a single hour.
“One hundred twenty-five thousand years — and here again is a whole new world. Watching friends from the mortal realm fade away one after another, again and again — this old Daoist has nearly gone numb.”
The fat man muttered to himself as he slowly climbed up from underground, breaking through the layer of soil and emerging on the surface of the ridge.
But no sooner had he crawled out than he stumbled and nearly fell — for sitting at the exit, right there waiting, was already a person. Gray hair draped loosely. Eyes deep and unfathomable.
“A ghost!” The fat man let out a shriek of utter despair and cried: “I truly haven’t had the chance to dig up your grave yet — please don’t come haunting me as a spirit first!”